Ajar
/əˈdʒɑːr/noun
Partly open or slightly turned away from a closed position.
Did you know?The word comes from a Scots phrase meaning “on the turn,” and it originally described something turned a little off-center rather than a spooky doorway state.
Etymological Timeline
Early 16th Century
Scots
a char
“on the turn; slightly turned”
16th Century
English
ajar
“turned a little to one side, not quite closed”
18th Century
English
ajar
“partly open, especially of a door or window”
Modern English
English
ajar
“slightly open or not fully closed”